Association between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and competition results of competitive swimmers

Abstract

Recent studies have shown the contribution of genetic determinants to athletes' physical ability. However, despite the fact that cognitive abilities like self-control and stress-tolerance influence athletes' competitive performance, few studies to date have investigated the association between genetic polymorphism, which is linked to cognitive ability and athletic performance. The present study investigated the link between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are known to exert influences on dopaminergic neural function and competitive performance of swimmers. The results have revealed superior competitive performance in competitive swimmers with Met allele of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism than those with Val/Val genotype. The investigated SNPs of DRD2 and DRD3 were not associated with swimmer's competitive performance. This finding indicates that genetic polymorphism linked to cognitive ability influences the athletes' performance.

Addiction Related DRD2 gene rs 1800497 polymorphism distribution in volleyball players and bodybuilders

“…In our cohort, A2A2 genotype and A2 allele was found to be superior. Abe et al (2017) examined the related SNPs (COMT, DRD2 and DRD3) that are considered to have influence on dopaminergic neural function in swimmers. In their cohort, like our results, A1A1 genotype frequency was lower than the other genotypes, but unlike our results, A1A2 genotype was higher than A2A2 genotype.…”

Can Genetic Testing Identify Talent for Sport?

“…Whilst traditional research has focused on the physiological drivers of elite athlete status (reviewed in detail by Ahmetov and colleagues [16]), there is the potential to explore the genetic underpinnings of psychological factors, such as anxiety, stress resilience, and skill acquisition. This has not yet been explored in detail, although a SNP in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, rs4680, has been linked with competition performance in swimmers [66] and with personality traits in ultra-endurance athletes [67]. Catechol-o-methyltransferase plays a role in the regulation of dopamine within the prefrontal cortex [19]; variation in this SNP affects dopamine levels and thus information processing and memory [19].…”

Associação dos genótipos da ACTN3 aos indicadores de desempenho em atletas juvenis da natação brasileira especialistas em curtas distâncias

“…Para o cálculo do índice técnico (IT) utiliza-se a seguinte equação: 1000 x (recorde mundial [s] / recorde pessoal [s]) 3 . O produto desta equação define o IT individual de cada atleta por prova de especialidade, e quanto mais próximo de 1000 (valor de referência do melhor resultado da prova no ano anterior) melhor é o desempenho individual do atleta em sua prova de especialidade (Abe et al, 2017). As informações sobre a filiação à CBDA e aos clubes, as experiências internacionais, a prova de especialidade, e o melhor IT foram anotadas mediante consulta individual de cada atleta no site oficial da CBDA (http://www.cbda.org.br/cbda/natacao/atletas) entre setembro e dezembro de 2016.…”

“…É comum nestes estudos a comparação da frequência genotípica entre atletas e não-atletas (controle), a divisão dos atletas pelo nível competitivo (sub-elite vs elite -piores vs melhores) e pelos fenótipos do desempenho esportivo, bem como supremacia de atletas adultos de alto nível nas amostras (Chiu et al, 2011;Ruiz et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2013;Bem-Zaken et al, 2015). Recentemente o desempenho por pontos (ou índice técnico) foi inserido como mais um parâmetro individual para cada atleta (Abe et al, 2017), esse indicador é muito vantajoso, pois pode ser consultado livremente nos sites oficiais das entidades de administração da natação periodicamente e pode ser utilizado para confirmar o status de elite do atleta.…”